We do not have time. If you really think about it, none of us ever have enough time to get everything done. Sometimes, as parents of young kids, we wonder how we ever get anything done. The fact is that we make the time we need for the priorities that we have.

Life is all about choices.

Tonight was a “typical” Monday night. We picked up the kids from school. We rushed through fast food snacks and headed to music class. While one kid practiced piano, the other did homework. We all got home and played, cooked dinner, threw the football, ate dinner, did more homework, bathed, brushed teeth, Face-timed a grandmother, and finally went to bed.

At least the kids got to go to bed. Before lights out, an article needs to be written and there’s Monday Night Football to watch. Emails will have to be answered tomorrow. Bills will have to be paid another day. The cycle will never end.

Life is all about choices.

Many of our retired patients relate to us that they had one reason for their retirement. They retired to make time for all of their doctor and dental appointments.

Very few people want to make or take the time for their own routine maintenance visits. Personal health often takes a back seat to life. Many of us succumb to the old adage of, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Unfortunately, this can backfire in a big, bad way. Yearly physicals and routine dental care get put on the back burner. Small problems can become big problems before we know it.

Many dental (and health) problems do not hurt in their earliest stages. A small, painless cavity can often be fixed very conservatively and economically. If left to progress, that cavity can grow to become painful and infected and cost almost two thousand dollars to fix. Emergency dental care is more extensive and much more expensive. Conservative, preventive treatment makes dentistry more comfortable and much more affordable.

Life is about choices. Sometimes, it’s not as fun to make the choices that are best for our health. Good choices do pay off in the end, though.

Until next week, keep smiling.

-Please send comments and questions to Drs. Parrish at www.ParrishDental.com.